Sales growth at one of the Middle East’s largest luxury retail groups rose by 20 percent in the first half against the same period last year, pushed upwards by strong performances in the UAE and Saudi Arabia. ARABIAN BUSINESS http://tinyurl.com/33wbaya

MIDDLE EAST: Smartphone market to grow by 39% by 2015

The growth in demand for mobile applications (apps) and downloads in the Middle East is seeing more and more smartphone suppliers focus their attentions on the untapped local market. ARABIAN BUSINESS http://tinyurl.com/2vfx769

CHINA: More Travellers Using Shanghai Airports

Shanghai Airport Authority recently announced that the passenger traffic in July 2010 rose 38.06% year on year to 7.05 million, and cargo traffic increased 28.6% to 330,500 metric tons: further underlining signs of recovery in the travel industry. CHINA RETAIL NEWS http://tinyurl.com/35un38u

INDIA: Mahindra closes in on South Korean carmaker Ssangyong

Indian carmaker Mahindra and Mahindra has signed a preliminary deal to take over bankrupt South Korean rival Ssangyong Motor. BBC NEWS http://tinyurl.com/36lzvtq

INDIA: Arvind Ltd launches ‘first-of-its-kind’ retail concept in Hyderabad

The store, a ‘first-of-its-kind’ retail concept by the Ahmedabad-based textile retailer, claims to bring together the best of custom tailoring and ready-made apparel. INDIA RETAILING http://tinyurl.com/32svk5d

WORLD: Retail Report – India Brand Equity Foundation

The BMI India Retail Report for the third-quarter of 2010, forecasts that the total retail sales will grow from US$ 353 billion in 2010 to US$ 543.2 billion by 2014. IBEF http://tinyurl.com/2u3ub8

WORLD: Growing up fast: Vietnam discovers the consumer society

Retailers cannot afford to skip Asia’s youngest market. Here’s why. In 2007, it joined the World Trade Organization (WTO)—just in time for the global financial crisis. The country weathered the storm well, posting 5 percent growth in 2009. This year should be even better. McKINSEY http://tinyurl.com/3488jj9

EUROPE: Online shopping ‘cheaper’ than tax free airport goods
Tax free goods across Europe’s 10 busiest airports are on average only 6.2% cheaper than their equivalent in local high street stores, according to Kelkoo’s latest study. TALKING RETAIL. http://tinyurl.com/37cyy59

COMPANIES: Swannell is the right man for M&S
At M&S he will have the task of helping the new management team under Marc Bolland of overcoming a couple of years of stuttering sales. He is joining just as retailers face up to an imminent hike in VAT and possibly a difficult period if consumer confidence slides in the run up to the public spending cuts. CITY AM. http://tinyurl.com/2uwdrm8

TECHNOLOGY: HP sparks bidding war with Dell over 3PAR
Hewlett-Packard Co offered to pay $1.6 billion for 3PAR Inc, topping rival Dell Inc’s bid by a third in a surprise move that could spark a bidding war for the data storage company. REUTERS. http://tinyurl.com/37q6h65

UK: Coffee Republic in Shell forecourt move
Coffee Republic has agreed a deal to sell its Italian roasted coffee at 450 Shell forecourts across the UK. The new Coffee Republic To Go range has been developed alongside self-service provider MyCoffee and includes cappuccinos, lattes and espressos. THE GROCER. http://tinyurl.com/357tsxu

ADVETISING: WPP profits hit £244m as advertising market strengthens

Half-year pre-tax profits at WPP, the world’s largest advertising group, have risen 36% to £244m. The figures were boosted by growth in the US and the UK, but the strongest markets are still in Asia, WPP said. BBC News.http://tinyurl.com/25q3jb4

COMMENT: 5 top tips on how EPOS maintenance can help reduce customer queuing time

Recent research by Barclays and Barclaycard reveals that two-fifths of Britons refuse to queue for longer than two minutes and two-thirds regularly abandon purchases. RTR. http://tinyurl.com/35g3v57

An unit of India’s Future Group, which runs the country’s top listed retailer Pantaloon Retail, is looking to raise as much as Rs 7.5 billion ($160 million) through an IPO, according to a draft prospectus. ECONOMIC TIMES http://tinyurl.com/26qw9kr

US: TradeStone wins Awards

TradeStone has recently been recognized by its customers as among the Top 100 Great Supply Chain Partners by SupplyChainBrain and  TradeStone CEO Sue Welch being honored with WEST Leadership Award for significant achievements in retail technology. TRADESTONE.

China: E-commerce Committee Fights Poor Practices In Beijing

The Beijing E-commerce Industry Collaboration Committee has been established to encourage resource sharing and industry self-regulation, and to resist unhealthy competition. CHINA RETAIL NEWS http://tinyurl.com/2d8utnh

India: RIM mobile operator given deadline on BlackBerry

“We have received a letter … asking us to ensure that legal intervention capability is put in place for BlackBerry services by 31 August 2010,” a Tata Teleservices statement said. REUTERS http://tinyurl.com/2ae5hzo

UAE: Blackberry may soon resolve spat: diplomats

RIM has 500,000 users in the UAE, has said it would suspend BlackBerry Messenger, email and Web browser services from October 11 until the government could get access to encrypted messages. REUTERS http://tinyurl.com/26y67co

UK: Local and regional buyers dominate business sales market

Nearly 70% of all businesses acquired through Christie + Co over the last 12 months have been bought by parties who live within 20 miles of the purchased business. TALKING RETAIL http://tinyurl.com/296g3j3

EU: European shoppers and new products

As the economic situation continues to evolve, it is important to assess the appetite that shoppers have for product innovation. The report summarises the findings among a representative sample of British, French, German, Spanish and Dutch shoppers. IDG http://tinyurl.com/22pejfd

UK: Asda sales dip as shoppers hit in the pocket

SUPERMARKET chain Asda said yesterday shoppers were being hit in the pocket by government cuts as like-for-like sales excluding fuel fell 0.4 per cent in the second quarter. The chain said its market share had reduced in the 12 weeks to 11 July as total sales crept up “in the low single digits”. CITY AM http://tinyurl.com/25gwkc3

US: Wal-Mart feels the squeeze in US

Wal-Mart, the world’s largest retailer, has reported quarterly profits up 3.6%, although sales in its home US market fell for the fifth quarter in a row. Wal-Mart’s profits rose to $3.6bn (£2.3bn) helped by cost-cutting and growth in international markets. BBC NEWS http://tinyurl.com/22mt84n

Qatar Holding dealmaker tops Expat Power List

Armstrong heads up the M&A team at Qatar Holding, the investment arm of the Qatar Investment Authority. The US banker led the buyout of Harrods earlier this year, and is overseeing an estimated $32 billion of global investment this year. ARABIAN BUSINESS http://tinyurl.com/2c6d2f8

Comment: Will IT firms survive the squeeze?

Quangos and consultants are feeling the wrath of government cuts. But IT suppliers seem strangely optimistic – even though they are on the hit list too. BBC NEWS http://tinyurl.com/2cxdpoe

Comment: Clouds, big data, and smart assets: Ten tech-enabled business trends to watch

Advancing technologies and their swift adoption are upending traditional business models. Senior executives need to think strategically about how to prepare their organizations for the challenging new environment. McKINSEY QUARTERLY http://tinyurl.com/create.php

This 2 page synopsis details our provision in providing world class insight surveys: 

CMG Insight Survey Brochure

Bharti Airtel (BRTI.BO) has completed its $9 billion acquisition of African operations from Kuwait’s Zain (ZAIN.KW) in a deal that makes the Indian firm the world’s fifth biggest cellphone company by subscribers. REUTERS http://tinyurl.com/352a5te

Culture and choosing the right exec talent in Dubai

We are in ‘melting pot’ of cultures within the Middle East, quite literally hundreds of nationalities, live work and play amongst each other creative a buzzing, colourful mélange of faith, food and formalities. ARABIAN BUSINESS http://tinyurl.com/2uqdp4x

Waitrose supermarket to open in Bahrain

Bahrain-based Fine Fare Food Market has signed a licensing agreement with Waitrose UK to open a Waitrose store at the $90m Lagoon Bahrain development. The store will offer an assortment of Waitrose branded products as well as locally sourced products, in addition to a selected range of John Lewis non-food products. It will be the third Waitrose store operating outside of the UK. AME info

 http://tinyurl.com/36p4cvj

Planet Sports opens store in Pune

Planet Sports, one of India’s largest multi-brand sports and lifestyle specialty retail chain, has recently opened its new outlet in Pune. The 4,000 sq.ft exclusive store is located at SGS Mall. INDIA RETAILING

http://tinyurl.com/3324nlc

BRC-KPMG Retail Sales Monitor May 2010: Sales Revive But Uncertainty Remains
UK retail sales values rose 0.8% on a like-for-like basis from May 2009, when sales had fallen 0.8%. On a total basis, sales were up 3.0% against a 0.8% increase in May 2009. BRC NEWS

Tesco and Sainsbury’s are ‘most likely’ World Cup winners in retail
Tesco and Sainsbury’s are going into the World Cup with the “competitive advantage” over their supermarket rivals, according to market analyst Verdict Research. RETAIL TALKS

Morrisons appoints new Group Commercial Director
Morrisons has announced the appointment of Richard Hodgson as Group Commercial Director. Group Trading Director Martyn Jones will move into a new role as Group Corporate Services Director. IDG RETAIL ANALYSIS

WH Smith sees sales hit in ash cloud crisis
WH Smith posted a fall in third-quarter sales as travel disruption due to the Icelandic volcanic ash cloud hit the firm’s airport business. The company said its financial position was in line with market expectations. CITY AM

Northern Rock to cut 650 jobs by year end
Nationalised bank Northern Rock has said it plans to cut 650 jobs by the end of this year as part of its ongoing restructuring process. It has pledged to avoid compulsory redundancies “wherever possible”. Chief executive Gary Hoffman said the bank had to “align our staffing level to match the smaller size of the business”. http://tinyurl.com/2vfplu8

Day one was about meeting retailers at our stand and engaging with key stakeholders

Day two, we had our workshop on how “Change management can help grow your organisation” (focusing on change management for IT projects) which was very well recieved.

Overall it was an enjoyable and successful trip, laying further foundations for CMG to set up an office into India in 2011.

John Hoerner is the Former Chief Executive Officer of Tesco Central European Clothing, and Former Chief Executive of Tesco UK Clothing and International Sourcing, John is also involved with the BAA, and British Fashion Council.

http://tinyurl.com/ygstm4l

IKEA announce plans for Abu Dhabi, early 2011
IKEA UAE, part of Al-Futtaim Group, said it expects to serve nearly 1.3 million visitors in the first year of operations it opens for business on Yas Island, the new leisure and entertainment destination under development by Aldar Properties, ARABIAN BUSINESS

http://tinyurl.com/ylqvynz

Express Avenue in Chennai, soft launch on April 1, 2010
Kim Culley, chief operations officer said, “Express Avenue will cater to a cross section of population and house brands starting from Big Bazaar to Lifestyle, to Marks & Spencer and other luxury and premium brands. INDIA RETAILING.

http://tinyurl.com/ygunxqp

http://tinyurl.com/ygrnf8v

SAP: Leo Apotheker – Gone after 8 months…
He had taken the helm at SAP, the world’s third-biggest software firm, only in May. Mr Apotheker resigned after SAP’s supervisory board had decided not to extend his contract. THE ECONOMIST

http://tinyurl.com/yf8p4aq

GENERAL MOTORS: Opel arm on product offensive, and GM heading into India
Opel unit will invest 11bn euros ($15bn; £9.7bn) over the next five years to develop new products. Video discussion on developing into the Delhi markets by GM India chief, Karl Slym. BBC NEWS.

http://tinyurl.com/yjd56qj

IT SYSTEMS: Epicor Retail Business Intelligence 2.0.
New and enhanced features help retailers gain critical and timely business insight to gauge and improve execution and assist in enterprise decision-making, a new enhanced user interface, and an extended data model. RETAIL TECHNOLOGY REVIEW

http://tinyurl.com/ycdtmko

Trinity Mirror Group buys local paperS
TMG has agreed to buy Guardian Media Group’s local newspapers for 44.8 million pounds to extend its regional reach, the first major step in consolidating Britain’s battered local media. REUTERS UK

http://tinyurl.com/yzpet5t

Threat of the first ever IT staff strike back in talks at Fujitsu
Unite union members at Fujitsu have called off a strike as talks take place to solve the UK’s first ever national IT workers’ strike. More action threatened next week over pay, pensions and redundancies. CIO

http://tinyurl.com/yk5wrpb

Cinépolis India, a wholly owned subsidiary of Mexico-based mutliplex chain Cinépolis, launched its first screen multiplex in India at Advance India Project Ltd. INDIA RETAILING.

http://tinyurl.com/yhtxe2b

India’s MAJOR BRANDS to increase to 100 stores

Opening new stores of existing nine international brands – Mango, Aldo, Nine West, Promod, Charles & Keith, La Senza, Okaidi, Aldo Accessories and Inglot – in premier malls across India and will reach a target of 100 stores by March 2011. INDIA RETAILING.

http://tinyurl.com/yh5do77

As NHS management expenditure tightens, management consultancy costs are in the spotlight. The NHS is big business for the consultancy industry. We spend hundreds of millions of pounds a year on consultancy services. Over the next period, we need to ensure that as section 3.55 of the NHS Operating Framework 2010/11 states, external consultancy is “used only when there are no other options” and that every pound invested in consultancy support delivers a significant return. However, this doesn’t mean the demise of the consultancy industry in the NHS. In fact I believe that management consultants can play an even more effective role and help us get better, faster results. HSJ. http://tinyurl.com/yhadg3e

As the year end draws to a close we’d like to wish all of you a very HAPPY NEW YEAR for 2010

Online Organisation Tools are the next big thing for business

Imagine a day, which won’t be too far in the future, when as part of your media buying campaign you’ll buy access to many millions of individuals through this location-based service as the phone becomes a mini-billboard. CITY AM.

http://tinyurl.com/yfulbee

Cadbury’s ongoing defence against Kraft

Cadbury has been granted three extra days to put together a trading statement which could be critical to its defence against a £10.3bn hostile bid from Kraft. FINANCIAL TIMES. 

http://tinyurl.com/yzs2jgm

Fujitsu sign deal with EPoS Distributor

The agreement will see EPoS Distributor become the first UK distributor of Fujitsu’s point-of-sale (PoS) retail hardware products. EPoS Distributor will commence reselling Fujitsu’s retail hardware products in January. RETAIL TECHNOLOGY REVIEW.

http://tinyurl.com/yzpz58v

TED BAKER – Planning for continued growth

Ted Baker’s continuing global growth means it needs to enhance and consolidate its planning processes, for which the company has chosen the Maple Lake application. RETAIL TECHNOLOGY REVIEW.

http://tinyurl.com/yfjxxgn

T’was a good Christmas for mid-sized retailers

Mid-sized retailers enjoyed a decent Christmas with both sales and margins improved, according to BDO’s High Street Sales Tracker. Total sales were up 2.4% for the members of BDO’s index, with fashion up 2.5% and non-fashion up 3.6%. RETAIL WEEK.

http://tinyurl.com/ylxxs6z

Tough year ahead for British Retailers say BRC

2010 will be a difficult year for retailers, but no worse than 2009, according to a survey of its members by the British Retail Consortium. Four out of five retailers surveyed said they expected sales in 2010 to be the same. RETAIL WEEK.

http://tinyurl.com/yh8hvxw

 Australia’s FOOD GROUP RETAIL bets big on the Indian Market

Betting big on the $12-billion Indian retail market, Australia’s Retail Food Group (RFG) plans to make its proposed venture here to be bigger than its domestic operations within the next 15-20 years. INDIA RETAILING.

http://tinyurl.com/yh4lcb8